Parties to an Offense

The Defendant appealed the trial judge’s decision to sustain the charged violation of R.I.G.L. 1956 § 31-27-9 (parties to offenses). Here, a hit-and-run collision occurred and the Officer testified at trial that the Defendant’s vehicle matched the description of the hit-and-run vehicle provided by the other motorist, who did not testify at the trial. The Defendant, however, did not match the description of the driver involved and she testified that she did not know anyone matching the description. The Defendant argued that the trial judge’s decision was based on insufficient evidence because no evidence was presented at trial to support the charged violation. The Panel held that the trial judge’s decision improperly rested on inferences drawn from hearsay accounts of the accident. Accordingly, the Panel reversed the trial judge’s decision to sustain the charged violation.

State of Rhode Island v. Sarah Rochon, C.A. T08-0061 (August 27, 2008).pdf